


Red Russians and bullet holes

by MikkaMikka



Category: The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: Espionage, F/M, Fluff, Italian Mafia, Love, Russia, Russian Mafia, Violence, mafia wars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-09-24
Packaged: 2018-03-31 03:14:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3962314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MikkaMikka/pseuds/MikkaMikka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So this doesn't really belong to any fandom of sorts but is inspired by quite a few spy/action movies that I have watched but I mainly consider this to be inspired by the relationship Clint and Natasha have. Its a personal work and something I really wanted to get out there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Left Behind.

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is not exactly how I want it to be, may have to do a rewrite at some stage.

Sitting alone in a dark hotel room, Mikka winced slightly as she massaged a balm over her aching muscles. She waited for the cool sensation of the balm to relieve her pain as well as the memories it brought with it. Mikka thought of the night, in Paris no less, that Dimitri had tried to rub her aching shoulder, she also thought of the hurt in his eyes that he failed to mask once she had jumped away from him and growled.  
Mikka couldn’t stop the tears from falling, Dimitri her long-time partner in the espionage business had gone missing after their task, or mission one could call it had gone awry. They had been placed in Moscow and were given their brief by Zeno, the head of the agency. An old, long standing Russian mob had begun to claw their way to the top of the ladder by placing moles in the Russian Government, it was Mikka and Dimitri’s job to topple the mob by rooting out the moles through whatever means necessary. They had been making good progress until Robert De Bartolo, the head of the mob had found them and caused the pair of spies to split up and face groups of attackers. Mikka lost sight of Dimitri then, she hadn’t seen him in 12 days after they were discovered. Mikka growled, she had never failed a mission, never. Just then her phone rang, breaking her out of her spiralling dark thoughts. Mikka didn’t even bother looking at the screen, she knew who it was. “What?” She snapped “Mikka, we have been informed of Dimitri’s location, you are to meet him in Omsk and go to a safe house. You will continue the mission from there until you can be moved back into Moscow. Do not fail me again Mikka” And with that Zeno hung up, leaving Mikka gasping for air like she had just had the wind knocked out of her. Not only had Dimitri managed to escape and find the safe house but she was given a second chance at the mission, Zeno never gave any spy the chance to fail the mission twice and Mikka knew that so she had to complete her task successfully or it would be the death of her. While she was packing her belongings to leave, she wondered how she had become so involved in a dangerous business. Her family had been one of the few Russian noble families to survive the Communist revolution, it was one of the two things many members of the Dimitisokovich were good at, surviving and fighting. After the revolution her great grandfather had started the agency in an effort to protect his family, once he had built it up he handed over power to Zeno’s father who had passed control down to Zeno after many years. Some found it strange that a member of the Dimitisokovich family was not in the power position at the agency, but it was safer for them not to be. Even though they were not in total control of the agency some members of the once great family joined the agency and held high positions in the business. Mikka herself had joined the agency herself at the age of thirteen, much to the worry of her parents but she knew it was something she had to do to protect her family. Once she had joined she was sent away to Alaska of all places to train for many years before she could become an active member. A younger Zeno sent her to train and live with an ex agent, A rough man who had once been the top active agent. It was unusual for her to be sent to him as most new comers were trained within the agencies fortress by various trainers, but Zeno had decided Mikka was different and had more potential than any other hopeful spy who had walked into his office. So she was sent to live and train with Gus, Mikka openly resented him for the first year but once she had grown more mature and left her childish nature behind at the tender age of fourteen, an easy companionship formed between the two. Mikka trained relentlessly for four more years and was sent back to Russia at the age of 18 once she was deemed to be a capable agent. She was immediately partnered with Dimitri and the two worked closely for the next 2 years. At the thought of Dimitri, Mikka lost control of her emotions and let out a loud laugh, sounding almost hysterical. Dimitri was alive and that was all that mattered, Mikka knew it was wrong to become so attached to her partner and she had tried for a long time to fight it, but it was all in vain her feelings for Dimitri were inevitable so all she could do now was try her best to hide it from him. 

 

Dimitri shivered as the cold air seeped through his jacket, he had stood outside all day waiting for Mikka to arrive. He began to worry when she did not appear that morning and the worry began to eat away at him, he felt sick. There was no point in worrying about her he berated himself, Mikka knew what she was doing and she also knew it was safer to arrive at night than in broad daylight, but he worried nevertheless. When De Bartolo had found them Dimitri knew he had to disappear to keep Mikka safe, he was the one they were after and Mikka was simply caught in the crossfire. Dimitri smiled to himself as thought about his partner, she was a small woman, short and slender. Her long dark hair reached the small of her back and was almost as black as midnight but it had a strange red glow in the sunlight, he always found it strange that she had kept her hair long unlike the other women in the agency who had cropped theirs short. Mikka had always strived to be different, one of the things Dimitri loved most about her, although the thought of love scared him there was no denying he was deeply in love with Mikka. For the rest of the day Dimitri thought of her and none of his thoughts were professional but he didn’t care. He sighed as he formed an image of her in his head, he pictured her small, slim body in the skin tight black attire she always wore, her long hair braided in an intricate style, her heart shaped face with skin as white as marble and the smattering of freckles she had on her nose and cheeks, he thought most about her eyes as they were the thing that had caught his immediate attention when they first met. Her round doe eyes were framed by thick lashes that were red and didn’t match her natural hair colour which was odd, but what he found more odd was the colour of her eyes in certain light her eyes looked grey and steel like but he knew that they were a lavender colour which was magical to him, or to anyone else she met. She was the image of physical perfection and she worked hard to maintain her image, claiming she really wasn’t beautiful at all and that Dimitri was being a fool. Mikka trained harder than any man in the agency so she was as strong as an ox, but astonishingly her muscles were not big and bulging like anyone would have expected them to be, even though she trained hard she kept her toned and slender figure. Dimitri couldn’t help laughing out loud at the memory of their first night in a hotel room together after a dangerous days work, he thought about it fondly from time to time as a way to pull himself out of the darkness he was slipping into. They were in Budapest almost two years ago, the hotel room they shared was small and only had one large bed much to his horror. He remembered the way she spoke to him about not caring whether they shared the bed or not and a red blush appeared at the top of his face even at the memory, to escape her he went down to the local restaurant to get food for the night and the next day and when he returned he was very surprised to say the least, Mikka had taken a shower and was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed in a bright pink bathrobe, it was not the bathrobe that bothered him but it was the fact that she was waxing her legs. He quickly rushed past her to the bathroom and what he saw in there pushed him further into his state of shock, spread all over the vanity was a large amount of what seemed to be beauty products. Dimitri was so upset he stormed out of the bathroom and confronted her, he could not believe his new partner was so vain and unprofessional and he told her as much. He expected her to yell back at him or even cry, but Mikka was unpredictable and what she did next completely changed his perspective of her. Mikka calmly explained that if she was impersonating a high society socialite she could not parade around looking haggard and ugly, everyone would see through her act. Mikka had deflated his argument in one sentence and from then on he never bothered to argue with her again, he knew she would win, she always won.  
Dimitri smiled to himself as he recalled the memory, earning him a strange look from the old woman who lived next to the safe house that was to be his and Mikka’s home for the next few months or even the next few years. He had been overcome with emotion when Zeno contacted him to tell him that Mikka was safe and would arrive in Omsk within three days where they would be given their next set of orders. Dimitri sighed and turned to go back indoors, he couldn’t wait outside for her any longer, and the neighbours were already suspicious. He walked through the front living area to light a fire in the hearth so that the house was warm for Mikka’s arrival. As Dimitri sat on the couch in front of the fire he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about the night he had left her in Moscow. He had luckily been able to disappear without being noticed and he began to make his way back to the hotel, once inside the room he had packed hastily and his hand was on the door handle to leave when his phone rang. His blood ran cold, they knew, they knew he had left her and was running away, he answered his phone with shaking hands, it was Joanna Zeno’s assistant and he calmed is only a little. Joanna had instructed him to make his way to the safe house but he would first need to pick up the large truck they had left for him and fill it with furniture for the house. He took the truck to the outskirts of the city and slept in the driver’s seat for the night. That morning Dimitri had done his best to find furniture and other housewares that would make Mikka happy and comfortable so he opted for a large array of brightly coloured items, loaded up the truck and left. Once he arrived at the house he had been surprised to find other agents waiting for him, they were there to help him move into the house and left in truck leaving their car for him to use. Anger bubbled up in his chest as he thought about what they had said to him before they had left, they had called him a coward and a disgrace for abandoning his partner, all he could do was stand and listen to their insults because he knew he deserved it, he deserved all of it because Mikka could have been killed once he had left and it would have been her blood on his hands. Plunging himself into the feeling of despair he sank into a deep sleep on the couch.  
Mikka had thought about Dimitri for the first leg of her trip, she had indulged her silly fantasies by picturing him in her head. He was a tall man, easily over 6 ft 5 with broad shoulders, his chest and torso were also broad and heavily muscled, and his upper arms were the size of her thighs which Mikka found very, very attractive. He had long strong legs in proportion to the rest of his body, his hair was a golden blond and was cropped short, and he had the face structure of a Greek god, with a strong jaw, prominent chin and high angular cheek bones. Dimitri almost always had a serious expression on his face and more often than not a glint of childlike amusement in his sapphire blue eyes. Mikka sighed deeply and shook her head to clear those thought from her mind, she had to remain focused she was not going to fail again because failing once had been enough and she was not eager to repeat the experience. In an effort to forget Dimitri, Mikka thought about her family and her little sister that she had left behind in her past life. An ache throbbed in her chest, Mikka had never been able to know her sister or form a good relationship with her which made Mikka bitter at the best of times. Mikka had left her family in a bid to protect them so they would be free to live a normal life without mobs or spy agencies hounding them, from the moment she was born people had fought to have control over Mikka and her superstitious grandmother had not helped the matter. It was said that the purple in Mikka’s grey eyes were a blessing, it meant she would a fierce warrior with inhuman strength and speed, of course it was nothing but stupid drivel but people bought into it despite the fact. Mikka fought to keep her mind blank like she had been taught so she could continue her journey in peace.  
Mikka arrived at the house close to midnight, it was a cosy looking cottage complete with white walls, blue shutters and even a damned porch swing. She couldn’t help laughing to herself because she knew Zeno had chosen this house for her amusement as it exactly resembled the house in Alaska she had stayed in with Gus. It took two trips for Mikka to get all her heavy suitcase to the front door, she searched for the loose weatherboard next to the front door that was hiding her key to the house behind it. Once she had found it she had fumbled to open the door and drag her bags in at the same time in one quick motion so as not the let the cold air in. As Mikka stood in what she thought was the entry way she scanned the house, she spotted a figure, or more likely a man asleep on the couch and slowly made her way towards the unknown man with her hand gripping the hilt of her dagger she had pulled out of the sheath on her back as she got closer she saw it was only Dimitri and continued to scan, secure and lock up the rest of the house before searching for the bedroom and settling in for the night.  
Mikka woke with a start, she sat up and pushed her damp hair off of her face and rolled out of the bed and fell with a loud thud to the floor landing on a soft carpet. She hadn’t had nightmares since she was a child and it was confusing as to why she was having them now. Just then Mikka snapped out of her early morning state of relaxation and jumped up into a crouch, she looked around and remembered where she was looking around for a clock her eyes landed on a hello kitty clock it was only 3 am. She snorted at the stupid clock and made her way to where she thought the kitchen was with the intent to make herself a strong cup of coffee because she knew once she had woken up there was no hope of going back to sleep so decided to use the time she had to explore. Once in the kitchen, Mikka began to open cupboard until she found some mugs and grabbed the first one without looking and she felt even happier when she found a kurieg machine and herself a black coffee, Mikka snorted and rolled her eyes when she realise the mug she was using was a bright pink mug with the word princess written all over it, of course she knew this was Dimitri’s feeble attempt at humour. With coffee in hand Mikka began to wander around the house, it was well furnished most probably by Dimitri as she could pick out some of his distinctive tastes in some pieces, the dark leather couches, the black and white photos or the dark wood tables. Even so it was also very distinctly her, with bright colours and interesting shapes. Walking around Mikka couldn’t help feeling that they would be here for a long time with that came with a strange mix of sadness and joy, sadness that she would be leaving her old life behind her again and joy because she would be doing it with Dimitri, who had been her rock since they had met. It would be a new adventure, one that they would have to make together sooner or later. With that sombre thought Mikka made her way to the kitchen to hopefully get breakfast started, she felt like pancakes and much to her surprise she found the necessary ingredients and began to cook. 

Dimitri woke to the sound of shattering and a loud string of curses but he was not worried because he knew it was only Mikka, he had woken up a few hours after she had arrived and found her sleeping in her bed. Feeling relieved that she was safe and comfortable he made his way back to the couch to sleep with a light heart and a small smile on his face. He was happy to know that she was back to her old self and making a mess in the kitchen even though her cooking was the worst he had ever tasted, Dimitri had always ended up doing any cooking himself but nevertheless he was happy she was making the effort. Dimitri slunk off the couch and began creeping to the kitchen hoping to give her a fright even though her knew it was impossible, even if he could catch Mikka by surprise on the rare occasion nothing seemed to scare her he assumed it was just part of her training not to allow her emotion of instincts get the best of her and as a result of that Mikka was always calm and totally in control which he admired greatly about her. Dimitri had to admit, Mikka had gotten them out of many a tight spot with her quick thinking and fantastic self-control and for that he owed her his life but how does he thank her for that? He leaves her, he runs away like a scared child he would never forgive himself for leaving her especially know that fact that she would never leave him. Shaking himself out of his dark thoughts and continues on to the kitchen from he had stopped in his tracks. What he saw in the kitchen was enough to make him collapse on the floor doubled over in laughter, Mikka was standing in the kitchen in her bright pink pyjamas covered in flour and batter which was a fantastic sight to behold even though she had hit him with a glare that could melt iron in a matter of seconds which made Dimitri laugh even harder. “I’m glad you find my appearance so funny Dimitri, because you will not be laughing once I have done beating the crap out of you, you idiot” Mikka almost growled out, true to her heritage, the Russian bear inside her. “Aw, Mikka don’t be like that. You know you still love me way deep down” Laughed Dimitri. 

At least the morning was off to a somewhat jovial start they both thought to themselves. But there was an unspeakable tension room, so think you could slice it with a samurai sword. Mikka put it down to Dimitri’s possible guilt and Dimitri put it down to Mikka’s anger, he knew she would forgive him easily but now he was not so sure of himself, Mikka was like a violent storm on occasions and on others she was as calm as a, well she was just calm. But that was just the thing that was worrying Dimitri that she was one of two extremes, one more preferable than the other, he knew there was no middle ground or grey area with her. Mikka on the other hand, could not care less about being left behind, in fact she was quite happy she was, it gave her the chance to show all the men how much she could really do and that she was as capable as them if not more so. Mikka relished in a fight, her grins during fights and love of physicality were things that scarred her parents and ultimately pushed them into sending her to the academy. She could remember it well, the day the told her the thing she wanted to here for a long time.

She walked in the door after another delicious fight at school, as a thirteen year old she was quite mature for her age, but that did not stop her from kicking Lichus’s ass today after school. He was asking for it too, just begging her to teach him a lesson. Poor Lichus didn’t know what hit him when Mikka caught him picking on one of the younger kids, that’s when she saw red, such an act of cowardice in her eyes could not go unpunished.  
Unfortunately her parents did not agree with her, the school had decided to turn a blind eye because of her family name and the fact that in some weird way, Mikka was still doing good, like some bizarre super hero. So that evening when she walked in with blood all over her hands, face and white shirt her parents sat her down and told her what she had been hoping to hear for as long as she could remember. She had done it, she had finally pushed her parents into sending her to the academy, and she was going to be just like her aunt Lymerian, the woman she looked up to for most of her life. Before her mother had even finished speaking, Mikka had run up to her room and begun packing. 

Not much had changed Mikka thought, she still craved a fight and resorted to violence every chance she got much to the horror of Zeno and Dimitri. Dimitri had claimed many times he could still see her smiling as she fought and Mikka didn’t even bother denying it because she knew she was smiling, Gus had often told her he thought it was her best weapon because it unnerved even him, it made her more intimidating and lord knows she needed all the help she could get in that department, her small size was hardly terrifying. So she relied on her reputation as a demon like fighter and her ability to take people by surprise mainly and God did she love the looks on their faces when she managed to kill them, all her enemies died with a look mixed between shock and surprise on their faces. Sometimes though, Mikka worried if she was going insane and on those nights only Dimitri could console her, he always knew just what to say and when to say it. On the first night he held her when she bust into a fight of hysterics, Mikka knew that she loved him and Dimitri, well he knew he loved Mikka the moment he saw her as cliché as it was it was definitely love at first sight. 

Maybe now that it was just them for a while, they could both do something about it. But Dimitri told himself it was unlikely that Mikka would make herself as vulnerable as she would be if she allowed herself to fall in love with him. What he didn’t know was that would all change that day as Mikka knew she had to say something before they were truly separated.


	2. Not really who we are but someone else

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikka and Dimitri finally declare their love for each other. Will this be a happily ever after? or are there more sinister things brewing.

With their cover set up, Mikka and Dimitri spent the morning “Getting into character” as Zeno suggested they do. They were to live as Joan and Alec Liversputten for the next few months or even the next few years if need be. Joan and Alec were a newly married couple and had just moved to Omsk so Alec could work with the local mechanic as the new head mechanic. Mikka, or Joan rather would be a housewife a fact which made Dimitri bust out laughing because he knew Mikka would never be a housewife by choice and she resented most if not all housework. Zeno had wanted to go one step further and adopt a child for them but Mikka and Dimitri could not do that, they could not put an innocent child at risk and refused. With that, they set about changing their appearances. Mikka was loathe to cut her hair so instead cut a fringe and dyed it a golden blonde, she browsed through Joan’s wardrobe and found nothing but heinous amounts of pink, frills, lace, and far too many skirts and dresses, her shoe options were no better all she could find were childish pink flats with bows and heels that were far too impractical and cursed Zeno, Mikka knew he was doing this to get under her skin. Dimitri on the other hand fared better he dyed his short hair dark brown and found Alec’s wardrobe was filled with dark pants and shirts, warm jumpers and jackets and mostly practical steel toed boots in blacks and browns as well as a suit, a few pairs of dress pants and dress shirts as well as 3 pairs of dress shoes. 

During the treasure hunt of sorts Mikka and Dimitri found what they assumed to be their wedding rings, Mikka thought hers was far too big and flashy with an obscenely large diamond in the centre and would have much preferred Dimitri’s plain silver band. However it was not in Mikka’s nature to complain, she had that beaten right out of her by Gus and just decided to deal with her ridiculous cover for the time being. The rest of the day was spent in a comfortable silence as was tradition for the pair of spies before they went undercover, usually Mikka spent this time systematically locking herself away in her mind before building up her new self, she worked to forget her face for the time being, sort of like shoving it into the back of a drawer to be forgotten until it was needed again. Dimitri was the polar opposite, he did whatever he could to remember who he was, to build up a dual personality of sorts for him to slip in and out of his two states of minds easily and quickly.   
It was nearing dark and Mikka knew she had to say something before became people they weren’t, she cleared her throat, stood up, and walked to sit in front of Dimitri. “Look, Dimitri, there is something I really need to say. I need you to shut up for about 5 minutes and just listen to me” Mikka started nervously, Dimitri just nodded at her to continue. “I have been hiding something from you, and before you freak out I need to explain what it is so could please not judge me for what I am saying until I have finished it, then you can reject me” Mikka said to the table, she was unable to almost her nerve, almost. “For a while now I have had feelings for you Dimitri, and not platonic or professional feelings either. They are the type of feelings Zeno would frown upon, the type of feelings that could possibly put us both in even more danger than we already are, the type of feelings that complicate things both in normal life and in our line of work” She was rambling, it wasn’t a good start but at least it was a start. Mikka gave herself a mental pep talk and looked at Dimitri again, what she saw in his face gave her the courage to say what she had wanted to or maybe even needed to say for a long time. He looked at her with soft eyes, the blue almost swaying like the ocean, he had a small smile on his face and a slight pink in his cheeks. Mikka calmed herself again “I guess what I’m saying Dimitri, is that I love you. And you don’t have to love me too, you can just say Mikka I hate your guts and would never love you like that but I just needed to tell you how I felt” After blurting out her confession of love, Mikka stood up and made to leave the room. Dimitri was faster, before she could even get to the door he was blocking it. He smirked at her “Don’t think you can confess your love for me and run away my little princess” His voice was so soft it was almost a whisper, Mikka glared at him, he used his nickname for her that she hated the most, she usually hit him or even shot him when he used it but for now she thought she should let him get away with it. Before Mikka could try to get passed him, Dimitri had pulled her into his chest in a bone crushing hug and whispered into her hair “Mikka, I have loved you from the start, since the moment my eyes met yours my heart was in your hands. I didn’t want to say anything because I thought it would never be possible for you to love me too, but tonight you have made the happiest man in the world” Mikka couldn’t help but cry as she held onto him for dear life. She was loved, and it was a feeling she hoped she would never have to live without. 

Mikka was the first to break the embrace, even though she would have happily spent the entire night in Dimitri’s arms, but it was getting late and they needed to eat after a day of not eating and not speaking to each other. Dimitri watched her move about the kitchen with a face splitting smile, Mikka had surprised him yet again, she had taken well to being a housewife and the pink clothes and frilly apron suited her well. Dimitri allowed himself to have a fantasy of her in his kitchen, cooking for their family. He shook himself out of his day dream and moved to stand behind Mikka in front of the stove, he slowly and carefully wrapped his arms around her from behind, coughing slightly to let her know he was there and rested his chin on the top of her chin, it was comfortable for both of them to slip into an intimate relationship almost immediately, reinforcing Mikka’s hopes that they would be soul mates, if soul mates were a tangible thing. She stood still for a moment, just breathing in Dimitri and melting into his arms, this, she realised, was something she had been craving for years, his love and affection and now she had it. As they stood there, Dimitri began to sing softly, he sang her the Old Russian lullaby that he used to calm her down, Mikka felt herself falling asleep standing up, she hadn’t realised how tired she was as she listened to Dimitri’s soft singing   
“There’s a green oak-tree by the shores  
Of the blue bay; on a gold chain,  
The cat, learned in the fable stories,  
Walks round the tree in ceaseless strain:  
Moves to the right – a song it groans,  
Moves to the left – it tells a tale.  
There’re marvels there: the wood-spite roams,  
Midst branches shines the mermaids’ tail;  
There are the strangest creatures’ traces  
On the mysterious paths and moors;  
There stands a hut on hen’s legs, hairless,  
Without windows and doors;  
There visions fill a vale and forest;  
There, at a dawn, come waves, the coldest,  
On the deserted sandy shore,  
And thirty knights, in armors shone,   
Come out the clear waves in a colon,  
And their sea-tutor – them before;   
There a brave prince, in a fight, shortest,  
Makes to surrender a king, dread;  
There, to men’ views, a wizard, worthless,  
O’er woods and seas, through clouds, aired,  
Carries a worrier on his beard;  
A princess pines away in prison,  
And a wolf serves her without treason;  
A mortar, with a witch in it,  
Walks as if having somewhat feet;  
There’s King Kashchey, o’er his gold withered;  
There’s Russian odour… Russian spirit!  
And I there sat: I drank sweet mead,  
Saw, near the sea, the green oak, growing,  
Under it heard a cat, much-knowing,  
Talking me its long stories’ set.  
Having recalled one of its stories,  
I’ll recite it to the world, glorious…”

Before he could even finish the song properly, Mikka had fallen asleep standing up in Dimitri’s arms. He laughed, of course she was tired but she wouldn’t never admit to it. He turned off the stove and picked Mikka up and carried her to the bedroom, he didn’t know whether or not to take her clothes off but decided to leave them on. He gently placed her under the covers and climbed in behind her, as he pulled her to his chest she curled up into the way she always did and let out a sigh. When he thought she was asleep, Dimitri whispered “Goodnight my little princess, I love you with all of my heart” and fell asleep, Mikka heard him and it took her a while to bring her heart ate down before she fell asleep again. 

Mikka woke up before the sun had risen, she always was an early riser, even as a child she was the first one awake. She struggled out of Dimitri’s death grip and rolled out of bed. After stretching and listening to her bruised and beaten joints pop she stood up and made her way to the bathroom with only a hot shower on her mind. She turned the water to scalding and stood under the steaming flow. She then very quickly turned the water to cold, an old trick Gus had taught her to wake herself up quickly in the mornings seeing as she had always had a problem with mornings even now the cold water barely woke her up as it was just enough for her to get dressed and make her way down to the kitchen and cook breakfast for Dimitri. Even though he would not be going to work until the next week Mikka still felt it was something she needed to do for him. After an hour of cursing, breaking and frustration in the kitchen, Mikka had finally managed to make a batch of edible pancakes. As she was cleaning up and setting the table Dimitri made his way down to the kitchen and stood by the door, just watching Mikka, it was his favourite thing to do, just watch her. Her face had a look of total concentration, she was even poking her tongue out a little which endeared her to Dimitri even more. Mikka enjoyed the familiarity of their new relationship, not much had changed between them apart from their new found intimacy and the both were comfortable with each other which lessened the strain that new relationships often have. The two sat down and enjoyed a quiet breakfast of burnt pancakes and bad coffee and planned what to do with their week off, it was a strange concept for both of them to have time off, in there line of work sick leave or vacation time did not exist, evil never rests and it seemed the world needs saving.   
They decided to train, there was nothing else they could think of to do. Training was something they had always done together after their first field mission together, it was easier that way because each partner knew their partners weaknesses and limits and they were able to push past them to improve their training, boredom or lack of variety was never an issue. They pushed all the sofas against the walls, moved all breakable items for lack of any other space to train, it wasn’t ideal but it would do until they could find someone else. They stood in the middle of the room and stared at each other “I can already feel the bruises this hardwood floor is going to give me” Mikka chuckled, and in reply Dimitri teased “Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you little princess” He knew it would get Mikka going, she always had a stick up her ass when it came to proving she was just as tough as any guy, if not tougher and by the look on her face Dimitri knew this was going to be a good fight. Mikka lowered into a crouch and put on her best game face, she wasn’t going to let Dimitri get away with that.   
Without warning Mikka launched herself at him knowing she would catch him unawares, that was one of his key weaknesses, he could not anticipate her next move it was funny in a way that he could anticipate anyone else’s next move, but not hers and Mikka liked to use that to her advantage. As she landed on his chest he grappled for a hold on her shoulders and flipped her over so he had the upper hand and watched Mikka’s nose flare, she brought her head up and head butted Dimitri causing him to fly off of her. As he stood up to recompose himself Mikka landed a kick to the back of his knees and brought him down in front of her, she scrambled behind him and put him in a headlock, it may have been a juvenile technique but it worked when you wanted to render your opponent immobile. Dimitri flipped Mikka over his head from behind him and pinned her down by the wrists, the fight would be short, but it would also be intense.  
Without thinking properly, Mikka leaned up and kissed Dimitri on the chin and watched his deer in the headlights expression for several moments before taking advantage of the situation and pinning him to the ground instead where she managed to mock incapacitate him. Mikka stood up with a triumphant grin and sauntered away leaving a speechless Dimitri lying on the floor.  
In all honesty it was the most fun Mikka had in a long time and she could tell that now she opened up those flood gates, things were never going to be the same for them, not if she had anything to do with it anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Russian lullaby in this chapter is actually a poem, I'm not really sure who by. I decided to use it as a lullaby because it was what my Mom used to sing to me when I was little.


	3. Things were never the same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again if you have any comments please feel free to let me know, this is my first attempt at a novel type thing. and yes I know it doesn't really fit in any particular fandom but oh well.

Since their mutual declaration of love, things were different for Mikka and Dimitri and not in a bad way, but rather in an enjoyable way. They grew to know each other more deeply than they ever thought possible seeing as they already knew pretty much everything about each other. It amazed Mikka how easy it was to slip into their fake married life as if they had actually just gotten married themselves, of course there were moments were the two fully trained spies were unsure of what to do next or how to progress in their new and fragile relationship but they always found a way. It continued this way for several days until the time came for Dimitri to begin working at the mechanic and Mikka was unsure where that would take them, both as spies and the couple thy were imitating.   
They both now were comfortable sleeping in the same bed even though sleeping was the only thing that happened in bed even though they both wanted it, sex remained in the no man’s land of their relationship. But that didn’t mean they weren’t intimate, Mikka enjoyed the way Dimitri would hold her against his chest when they slept, or the way he would lie across her lap when they watched TV, physical affection was something Mikka always craved even though she would never admit it. It was something Dimitri secretly relished too, they had both lacked affection from their families growing up and it was still a vastly unexplored territory for them but they were happy to test the boundaries of their relationship.  
The days were becoming boring for Mikka, with Dimitri gone at work she was home alone till he came home, Zeno had deemed it unwise for Mikka to work seeing as she had a knack for either starting trouble or attracting it. All she was able to do was sit in the house and do normal housewife stuff, cook, clean, shop and she hated all of it, it was safe to say Mikka was not housewife material or even wife material for that matter. In a desperate bid to cure her never ending boredom, Mikka took to finding a hobby other than killing people because that clearly was not ideal in this peaceful suburban environment so she decided to take up a less violent and destructive hobby. Mikka tried a new hobby each day and found each one as boring as the last, until she decided to try out pottery and clay work. It was odd that she found solace in a very slow paced task that required ample amounts of patience and Dimitri found it beyond amusing because he knew Mikka did not like moving at a slow pace and lacked even the smallest hint of patience but he was happy she found something to amuse herself with. In truth he way becoming worried about Mikka, he knew she didn’t like to be out of action for long periods of time and he was sure she would do something irrational and dangerous sooner or later to cure her own pent up frustrations.   
The days progressed with a steady rhythm for both of them and soon it became mind numbing and arduous them. Dimitri, being the gentleman he was, took it upon himself to plan a day out for both of them to break the cycle as well as make sure they were seen out together as a couple. The weather was warmer and Dimitri knew that the nearby river was an ideal spot for a picnic, with an idea in mind he began planning the surprise for Mikka even though he knew she hated surprises which made it all the more fun for Dimitri. He wanted to make sure their cover was water tight, he had felt like he was being watched lately and Mikka had been being overly cautious lately as well, unbeknownst to the two of them, it was their neighbours who were keeping an eye on them. 3 Italian spies had been sent in undercover by an Old Italian mafia head who had been out of that game for a while and was wanting to join forces with Mikka and Dimitri. Amedea, Elora, and Nimah had moved into the house next door to the 2 Russian spies a few weeks before they had moved in, it was obvious to them that their Russian’s mission would go haywire so all they had to do was wait for their targets to come to them.


	4. The other three

The girls didn’t understand why they had to watch this couple, they were boring, and your run of the mill spies and Nimah made it known she did not like this stakeout as they all sat in the lounge “I still don’t understand why we were sent to babysit these two, they aren’t even interesting” she groaned “Shut up Nimah, no one wants to hear your complaining, we all have to suffer the same fate as you” Elora argued, she was becoming frustrated with Nimah and was in no mood for her belly aching. “Both you shut up, this is a shitty mission but we might as well make the best of it and do our job properly” Amedea said, being the eldest of the three and the more experienced spy, she was exasperated at Nimah and Elora and their childishness. Amedea stayed behind for her shift for watch as the other two went upstairs to bed, once she was certain they were upstairs in their rooms Amedea pulled out the picture of her daughter she kept in her pocket at all times. She always kept it close because she feared she might forget what her beautiful little girl looked like after too many years.  
It was important for the 3 Italians to build a good relationship with Russians as neighbours before spies. So in an attempt to open the channels of communication between the two houses, Amedea invited the 2 Russians to a home cooked dinner later that week, not that she or any of the other girls could cook but they could try and hope they didn’t end up killing their targets accidentally. Amedea was surprised at how good the cover was that the Russians had put up was, if she hadn’t known they were spies she would have thought they were an ordinary newlywed couple, the woman, Joan she said her name was seemed happy enough to accept her dinner invitation and even offered to bring dessert and Amedea could tell she was committed to keeping up her cover at all costs, the mark of a good spy. Amedea couldn’t help but be intrigued by this couple, how did 2 of the best spies in the world end up in so much trouble?   
The day of the dinner party eventually came and the house was in a state, the girls had been trying to clear up any evidence that they weren’t just 3 normal girls living in the countryside and had failed. Weights, binoculars and various weapons were strewn around the common areas and the kitchen was littered with takeout containers and a month’s worth of dirty dishes. It was clear that they weren’t good at playing house and that there was a lot of work that needed to be done before they could let the 2 Russians into their house. So, begrudgingly Amedea set Elora and Nimah to work in the kitchen and she tackled the common areas without any enthusiasm, she still had no idea what to cook or if they even had any food to cook and cursed herself for being so unprepared.   
After a few hours of hard work the house was spotless and normal looking, but Amedea was still wary, they were letting the 2 best spies in the world into their den, of course their cover would be blown in a matter of minutes possibly even seconds if one of the other girls said something stupid and gave them away which was a possibility. In a last ditch attempt to cement their cover, Amedea set to the task she had been dreading all week, cooking, the TV programs made it look easy enough so she went in with the wrong expectations, needless to say it was a disaster and the girls just ended up ordering in to save face.   
As the two Russians rang the doorbell, they all stopped breathing until the door was opened.


	5. Neigbors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mikka and Dimitri spend the evening with those sent to watch them.

Mikka reached out and rang the doorbell and the door opened on their neighbours who all had the look of a deer caught in headlights. That’s the exact moment she knew, they were placed here to watch her and Dimitri but she didn’t know who sent them and needed to find out before her and Dimitri left their house after dinner.   
She tapped a message on the inside of Dimitri’s hand in Morse code. /Be careful / spies / sent here to watch/ and like the true pro he was Dimitri remained impassive but Mikka knew he was on high alert. If the other spies noticed the miniscule change they did not give it away. They went through the motions of a normal dinner between neighbours and ate an unsatisfying meal of takeout and all the while the 3 rival spies were visibly tense which only gave them away even further. Mikka knew they weren’t here to kill her and Dimitri, that much was obvious, but still the fact that they were found and were being watched set off all kinds of alarms in Mikka’s mind and she was even planning a quick getaway to a second safe house before on the 3 watchers, Nimah who was the youngest said something that changed the entire atmosphere of the room in a matter of seconds.   
“You guys are such boring spies to watch, I don’t know why we were sent to watch you” Nimah blurted out in her semi inebriated state. And much to the surprise of the other Italian spies the two seemingly fearsome Russians burst out into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, as Joan and Alec explained that they knew as soon as they walked into the front door that the three girls were spies sent to watch them and much to the girls embarrassment they explained they had a suspicion they were being watched all along. Amedea kicked herself over her poor work standard and kicked herself even harder for letting the other two girls drink, this whole night could have ended with them dead and forgotten is the two Russians were not as amiable as they had been.  
Amedea only hoped that Nimah was ashamed of herself, although she knew that Nimah was too drunk to care or even notice the mistake she had made. Elora was sitting in the corner of the kitchen laughing so hard she was crying, Amedea shook her head in despair at the ragtag group of female spies, their employer was going to have her head if the two Russians didn’t get it first. But for now, she let herself fall into what she hoped would be the beginnings of an easy friendship between the spies gathered in the kitchen.   
After a few more hours, Mikka and Dimitri went back to their own house, still not willing to voice their true identities they planned to continue living as Joan and Alec and as far as they could gather the three Italians didn’t know their real names or any other personal information that may have been leaked somehow. Even in one of the supposedly most secure agencies, information always found its way into the wrong hands and this always had dire consequences that usually led to the death of a good agent who just wasn’t good enough to avoid death.  
It is always hard for Mikka to hear of the death of a good spy, especially when they were one of her friends. Gus had always said that her emotional weakness and her love for people would be her down fall as a spy. Mikka had tried to become tough in the sense that she isolated herself from people and she didn’t allow herself to get close to people and that worked to a degree, but there were always a few people that could break down the walls she had built around herself, like Dimitri, even though Mikka tried her hardest not to fall in love with him it happened anyway.   
At the end of the night as Mikka climbed into bed she had the feeling that the spies next door would become friends if not allies and the feeling startled her. Mikka extinguished any feeling on complacency or comradery and went to sleep with a soul as black and as cold as evil itself.


	6. Evil as a protective layer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Delve into Mikka's dark past.

The next morning Dimitri woke up and immediately knew something was wrong with Mikka, he always did even if she refused to show it. It was in these rare moments Dimitri felt like he was the one wearing the pants in the partnership rather than Mikka, he got a weird satisfaction for have some power over her as insignificant as it may be, and what made it even better for Dimitri is that it drove Mikka to the end of her tether. She hated it when people would ask if she was ok, it usually resulted in her snapping at them or even on a really bad day hitting them   
Dimitri worried though, about Mikka’s lack of control over her violent impulses and he suspected the problem started and ended with her trainer. When he was told Mikka was trained by Gus he was surprised she had even survived. Gus had driven a fair few recruits feral to the point where they had to be eliminated. One recruit still haunts him to this day.   
It was a simple mission in Rome, eliminate a holy man and leave. Or at least it was supposed to be simple, Dimitri’s partner was making him edgy, he had not said a word to him but sat in the hotel room holding his gun to his chest whilst his eyes flicked manically around the room. He was trained by Gus who decided the recruit was now ready for frontline action.   
Despite his concerns Dimitri took the recruit out with him when the time came for the assassination, he could not have even in his wildest dreams imagine what was going to happen next. As soon as the priest left the church surrounded by monks the recruit turned into what can only be described as a blood thirsty killing machine, he had passed the stage of human reasoning and only knew one thing. The recruit opened fire on the priest and the monks killing them all before Dimitri could even comprehend what was happening. What happened after still caused Dimitri never ending grief, the recruit had strapped a bomb to his torso and blew himself up in the midst of all the bodies. Flesh, fire and debris rained on Dimitri and all he could do was watch. He had failed.   
Dimitri was determined that Mikka would not turn out like any other of Gus’ recruits because he loved her and he would not let her turn into something as ugly and evil as that, because that’s all Gus could be pinpointed as dark, sadistic, and evil in the most twisted sense. Whilst Mikka had not totally lost her sense of self she had moments where Dimitri could see her eyes glaze over and he would catch her with the smallest of smiles on her faced as she killed an opponent with her bare hands. That’s what Mikka liked the most, killing with her hands, she had once told Dimitri she liked to feel their life slip through her fingers as she watched their eyes go dark and that was the exact moment he knew she was not wholly human anymore. In an effort to limit hand to hand combat Dimitri tried to eliminate as many targets as possible in the shortest amount of time with his gun, Mikka had picked up on it but had still said nothing about it, Dimitri was sure she was plotting some childish revenge.   
Dimitri never quite knew what to do with Mikka, one could say she was an anomaly. You could never tell how she was going to react to something or what kind of mood she was in, it was akin to walking on exploding, fiery, eggshells that could kill you with their thumbs only. He knew Mikka liked it that way “it’s always best to have the element of surprise” she would say, and surprising she was.   
Mikka woke up in the foulest of moods that morning, she stomped her way to the bathroom and slammed the door so hard behind her it reverberated throughout the whole house. If Mikka was in a bad mood, she was determined to take everyone else down with her. On days like these Dimitri tried to be as cheerful and as sunny as a person possibly could, hoping it would rub off on Mikka and improve her black state of mind, it never worked, but he still tried non the less because that’s what you do for people you love, you try and never give up.   
Dimitri knew Mikka wasn’t really evil, she just seemed that way most of the time. It’s what made her son intimidating to other people and she needed that security because she was tiny, it’s amazing she can kill large men when often her hands don’t even fit around their necks. It was always amusing to the other spies, even though it really shouldn’t have been.   
Mikka wasn’t all evil, no she just kept that part of her locked away. But it always fought to be free, like an agitated animal in a cage, that one day would burst out and kill everything in its path.


	7. Can we eat now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trouble in paradise

Dimitri had resolved to talk to Mikka that morning over breakfast, he felt like it was what he needed to do even though it would put his life or his breakfast in danger. It was his turn to make breakfast so he thought he would pull out all of the stops and make her favourite breakfast, blueberry pancakes and a strong cup of coffee. It was amazing the amount of caffeine Mikka consumed, for someone so small she drank a lot, Dimitri was surprised she could hold it all. But he just watched in amazement as she chugged the cup of hot black coffee in a matter of seconds.  
“Mikka before you eat, we need to talk” Dimitri started off cautiously,  
“Can we not do this now Dimitri? I am really not in the mood to hear one of your concerned partner lectures again.” Dimitri stayed silent for a while and let Mikka seethe for a few moments.  
“No, we are doing this now. What is the matter with you Mikka? Why are you acting like this? Its not like you. Don’t fall into another black hole” Dimitri paused for a moment to let it sink in “How am I supposed to trust my partner when I don’t even know who I am going to be dealing with in the morning? It would be nice if you gave me a little warning before you went all psycho bitch on me” Dimitri didn’t mean to sound so angry but he did and that what was set Mikka off.  
“Oh so now I’m a psycho bitch? Well you know what Dimitri, fuck you. At least I didn’t abandon my partner in the middle of a goddam fire fight. So don’t you dare go pointing fingers at me when you are just as bad? And you want to talk about trust? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TRUST YOU WHEN I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING HALF THE TIME?” Mikka screamed, she punctuated each sentence by slamming her fists on the table.  
Mikka got up and stormed away from the table, flipping the chair over and made her way outside kicking and punching anything in her path. Dimitri knew that the rest of the week was going to be hell on earth.  
If only he could get in contact with Zeno, but he knew that was a bad idea now that they knew they were being watched, by what seemed to be the world’s 3 most unprofessional spies. He wasn’t sure if the 3 Italians were a threat or not, He and Mikka could take all 3 of them out in a matter of minutes but it was still good to be cautious even if they did seem incapable, appearances can be very deceiving.  
Dimitri stayed sitting at the table, listening to Mikka training in the backyard shed that they had set up and disguised as a pottery shed for good measure and wondered what the next few days had in store for him. He got up slowly and made his way to the front door, not wanting to leave Mikka alone but knew he had to go to work to keep up appearances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi Guys, I know this isn't exactly a fanfiction but I hope you all like it!  
> also, sorry for the very short chapters, university is killing me!


	8. Regrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the storm comes regret.

Mikka stomped around the training shed, too angry to focus on one task at a time but instead flitting between tasks trying to work out as much of her anger as possible. She didn’t even know why she was so angry, it was remnants of her training, get angry when you see a problem. Mikka knew Dimitri meant well but she hated it when he pointed out her flaws, her fear of being inadequate consumed her and set her off in a rage.   
As she worked her anger out on the punching bag she began to regret what she had done and said, she heard Dimitri’s car pull away and she slumped against the wall. He was right, she was a failure, and how could she call herself a good spy when her own partner didn’t trust her. Mikka knew she needed to change, but she couldn’t figure out how, she was going to have to talk to Dimitri and it was going to be a tough conversation to have, but if they were going to move together as partners she was going to have to swallow her pride and admit her faults and apologise.   
With heavy thoughts weighing on her mind, she decided to start her day. Today she had decided to try and get some sort of a garden going, she didn’t know how well it was going to turn out but there was no problem in trying. She despised having to play the perfect little housewife, but she did it anyway as she knew it kept her and most importantly Dimitri safe to a degree, she didn’t know how safe she was anymore knowing that the three Italian spies were watching them even if they seemed totally unprofessional and mediocre, she knew never to doubt an opponent’s ability.   
As she walked back to the house she fought the urge to look at her neighbour’s window, knowing that one of the three girls were watching her in what they thought was a secretive fashion but it really wasn’t. As she made her way through the house she picked up the things she had knocked over in her path of war, feeling even guiltier than before. Dimitri didn’t deserve a partner who couldn’t control her anger at the best of times, but it was harder than she thought it would be to forget Gus’ training, it was so ingrained in her it was practically a part of her unfortunately.   
She always questioned why Zeno had sent her to Gus, if there was something wise and meaningful she was supposed to learn from Gus she had totally missed out on it. The stories she heard about his other trainees made her thank her lucky stars she hadn’t ended out as badly as them, yet. It’s not like Gus was an inherently bad person, he just had a dark way of training recruits that often didn’t bode well with other people. Mikka couldn’t say that she hated Gus, she definitely respected him as a world class spy and a somewhat effective trainer, but she wouldn’t go as far to say that she liked Gus because she definitely did not like him.   
As Mikka got ready to go about her day pretending to be a normal person, she couldn’t shake the tight knot in her chest, she had being emotional, it made her feel weak and pitiful. She regretted her reaction this morning, Dimitri meant well and was only voicing his concerns because he loved her and she had gone and made an issue out of it. Now Mikka had to figure out a way of apologising without embarrassing herself, and that was going to be a challenge she may not be able to complete.


End file.
